Those Things Unsaid
by Imtiaz
Summary: Please be aware this is a definite 'M' rated fiction due to adult themes and content! Can Robert and Cora reconcile after the troubles that have threatened to destroy their relationship...


_This is a Robert and Cora fic, which is set at the end of series 2 and so has post-war/ post-Jane angst. It's set in Cora's bedroom, after dinner one evening and the story starts off at the end of a heated discussion. Enjoy!_

And so you're both standing there, neither of you brave enough to make the next move.

And the whole world seems to have stopped moving and the only thing that matters to you right now is this beautiful creature who is standing there in front of you, staring up at you, her expression a fragile blend of fear and want. She needs you take her pain away. _Please_, take her pain away.

Her eyes are laced with ebony, darker than you have ever seen them before. And you wish you could take it all back- wish you could stop the hurt.

You hear her voice plead your name, the sweetest sound you ever heard and you reach out a hand to touch her face.

She moulds herself into your palm, savouring the feel of your skin upon hers. Just like she remembers- it has been so long. Your heart almost breaks as you watch her eyes flicker shut, her bottom lip trembling slightly.

You wish you could take it all back. And even when she forgives you- even _if_ she forgives you- you will spend the rest of your life regretting what you have done to her.

She opens her eyes, questioning your hesitation. Silently pleading for you to love her still.

And you do, _so_ much.

Your fingers drape slowly along her cheek; your thumb stroking along her lower lip as you feel her whole body shudder. You observe her carefully; every second unfolding like a revelation of all the things you failed to notice about her of late. How sorry you are.

Little by little your fingertips drip down along her neck, registering the trepid rhythm of her pulse, before journeying lower still. And suddenly her fingers are laced around yours and she guides your hand down to her heaving chest, leaving it to rest there.

You're momentarily taken aback by her bold move. But she has learnt not to wait for you anymore. She blushes, having slightly shocked herself, but grateful that your gaze still seems to be one of wonder rather than disgust.

And there she stands, unsure of herself in every way, needing you to take control. Needing you to show her that she still means something to you. Needing you to remind her how it feels to be desired.

Her lips part slightly, waiting desperately to feel your caress. She is desperate for you.

And finally, your burning lips find solace upon hers, meeting in the most gentle, spellbinding kiss. Her hands snake upwards to capture your face, holding you; the most precious thing in her world. Needing you more than ever before. Loving you more than you could ever understand.

But she will try her best to show you.

For a stolen moment she breaks herself away from your embrace, holding your face between her fingertips. She searches your expression, reading you as well as she ever has, knowing you better than you know yourself and finding herself overcome with the wealth of emotion that swells between you both. She bites her lip, taking endless seconds to just look into your eyes, acknowledging you as her saviour. Yet you know it to be _she_, who is _your_ saviour.

She exhales deeply and you taste her hot breath on your moist lips as she turns her head slightly, allowing your fingers to twist in her hair as you pull her face towards your own again.

Wrapping your arms around her tiny frame, you work to release her from her heavy dress, craving the perfection it conceals. Stroking your hands up her corseted back, you gently slip your fingers over her shoulders, pushing the material down her arms, grateful for her help as she pushes the garment over her hips, letting it fall to the floor.

Eager to taste the newly revealed flesh, you press your lips along her taut neck, arriving at the top of her chest and sinking lower still, you hear her gasp. You look up, revelling in the delights of her expression before returning your hands to her back and unlacing the corset- remembering how she was always impressed by your skill at doing so.

Pressing butterfly kisses to the base of your neck, she splays her long fingers into your hair as you make light work of releasing her from the restraining fashion.

Realising the disparity between your states of undress, she sets about unfastening your bowtie and loosening the small buttons along your front. The shirt is on the floor before you even acknowledge your part in the action and she distracts you with deep, loving kisses as she unclasps your belt, encouraging you to rid your remaining garments.

The movement from standing to laying is so seamless that she doesn't seem to recognize that she is on the bed until she is grasping the plush cotton of the sheets as you pepper feather-light kisses to her navel. Smothered in candlelight and lust, she is guided only by the feel of you on her skin.

She throws her head back against the pillow; the sensation of your fingertips hooking the edge of her underwear causing a thin veil of moisture to lace her entire body as you drag them down her silky thighs.

She murmurs your name in ecstasy as you move back up her body; every pattern drawn by your tongue and lips awakening sensations she had forgotten she was capable of experiencing.

You return to her, finding her wanton lips in the glow of the candlelight and as you take hold of her hand, you are reminded how her slender fingers compliment yours in every way. You fit, just so.

You watch her, so mesmerised by her breathtaking beauty as your hand ebbs downwards, along the crevasse of her breasts, to the dip in her navel until you find the curve of her hip, where your hand rests as she parts her legs, awaiting the culmination of your love making.

You silently ask if she's okay. And she nods, trusting you implicitly, her whole body tingling in anticipation of what you have both been waiting for. And in one deliberate movement, you are part of her. Completing her entirely.

She moans into your mouth as you continue to move into her; delicious rhythms that spur her towards an epiphany of luxurious sensations. She whispers sweet sentiments in your ear. Telling you how you are making her feel. Telling you where she needs you most.

You grip her thigh, finding it incredibly erotic that she is still wearing her stockings. Tangling her limbs with yours, she is there with you every second, matching each of your movements in perfect synchrony as she mewls softly into your shoulder; the pleasure coiling inside of her and proving almost too much to bear.

"_Robert..." _You can feel how close she is. Her back arches; her breasts pressing against your chest and you're not sure how much long you can hold off your own divine ending. You reach down to touch her and it's the beginning of the end as she cries out your name, her whole body trembling as she becomes consumed by overwhelming intensity of the red hot pleasure inside of her and it's all you can do to follow her into oblivion, riding out the long shuddering sensations.

You cradle her in your arms for untold moments as she recovers her senses. Slowly, she opens her eyes, reacquainting herself with the glorious feeling of lying in your arms

"I've missed you" she whispers. And it's almost too difficult to hear. You press your cheek against hers, just needing to be close to her.

"Cora..."

"Shhh" she whispers. She knows; she knows you're sorry. She knows you love her. She _knows_. You press your lips to hers again, drinking in the pleasure of her sighs.


End file.
